At least Six people have died and 107 others have been pulled from the sea after an Indonesian passenger vessel overturned in the Java Sea, authorities have reported.
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members when it lost contact after encountering severe weather conditions during its journey from Surabaya to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Officials said 130 passengers and crew remain unaccounted for, prompting a large-scale emergency response involving about 280 rescuers.
The ferry was believed to have been approximately 150km south of Banjarmasin when communication with the vessel was lost at around 02:00 local time on Sunday.
A distress alert was received more than two hours later at 04:10.
Several boats and a helicopter have been sent to the area as part of the operation. Other ships navigating the Java Sea have also been instructed to watch for survivors or signs of the missing travellers.
The 119-metre vessel departed Surabaya’s Tanjung Perak Port at 10:33 on Saturday and was expected to reach Banjarmasin at about 14:00 on Sunday, according to maritime tracking information.
Indonesia’s national search and rescue authority is coordinating the response alongside the navy, maritime police and other agencies.
At Banjarmasin, anxious relatives gathered at the port seeking updates about loved ones aboard the ship.
One resident, Rusmilawati, said eight members of her family had travelled to Java to visit the graves of Islamic scholars before choosing the ferry for their return trip.
She said the family had last received a message through WhatsApp from one of the travellers, who described the waves as frightening.
Another family experienced relief after Misnah learned that her husband, Ahmad Supandi, had survived the disaster. The freight driver was rescued by the MV Haida.
At Surabaya’s Tanjung Perak Port, relatives of crew members were also waiting for news.
Fredy said his younger brother, Stevie Manuhua, worked aboard the ferry as a keyboard player entertaining passengers.
Fredy said the family last spoke with Stevie while the ship was docked in Surabaya two days earlier and had heard nothing from him since.
Ferry services are vital in Indonesia, an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands. However, maritime accidents remain a recurring concern.
Government figures indicate that 111 shipping incidents were recorded between 2020 and 2026.
In July, the KM Nurul Salsa went down off Polassi Island in South Sulawesi’s Selayar Islands Regency.
Fifty-eight people were rescued, while three fatalities were confirmed and 14 others remained missing.
A separate ferry fire off Madura Island last month also claimed five lives.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong